The Inner Mounting Flame

The Inner Mounting Flame
Studio album by Mahavishnu Orchestra
Released	November 3, 1971
Recorded	August 14, 1971
Genre	Jazz fusion, progressive rock
Length	45:30
Label	Columbia
Producer	John McLaughlin
Mahavishnu Orchestra chronology
The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) Birds of Fire (1973)Birds of Fire1973

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	(A)
Sputnikmusic
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide

The Inner Mounting Flame is the debut studio album by multinational jazz-rock fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra, released in August 1971 by Columbia Records. After their formation, the group performed several debut gigs before they entered the studio to record their first album featuring all original material written by guitarist John McLaughlin.

Information

The track "You Know, You Know" was sampled in Massive Attack's "One Love", Mos Def's "Kalifornia", Black Sheep's single "Similak Child", David Sylvian's "I Surrender", Cecil Otter's "Rebel Yellow", Blahzay Blahzay's "Intro" from Blah Blah Blah album, and Dilated Peoples in their track "Let Your Thoughts Fly Away" from the album Directors of Photography. The band Gumball covered the song "Awakening" on their 1992 Wisconsin Hayride EP. Rovo and System 7 featuring Steve Hillage, covered "Meeting of the Spirits" on the 2013 album Phoenix Rising.

A remastered version of the album, on CD, was released in 1998 by Sony Music Entertainment. It features a facsimile of the LP front cover, a new set of liner notes by Bob Belden, as well as many photographs of the band. "The Inner Mounting Flame" was included in 2011 as part of "The Complete Columbia Albums Collection" boxset, along with the other albums by the first line-up of the band, including "The Lost Trident Sessions". This version includes a version of "The Noonward Race" recorded live at the Mar Y Sol Pop Festival 3 April 1972. That version was previously available on the compilation album Mar Y Sol: The First International Puerto Rico Pop Festival, but the version included in the boxset is two minutes longer.

Track listing

All tracks composed by John McLaughlin.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Meeting of the Spirits"	6:52
2.	"Dawn"	5:10
3.	"The Noonward Race"	6:28
4.	"A Lotus on Irish Streams"	5:39

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Vital Transformation"	6:16
2.	"The Dance of Maya"	7:17
3.	"You Know You Know"	5:07
4.	"Awakening"	3:32

2011 remaster bonus track
No.	Title	Length
9.	"Noonward Race (live)"	15:03

Personnel

Mahavishnu Orchestra

• John McLaughlin - guitar
• Rick Laird - bass
• Billy Cobham - drums, percussion
• Jan Hammer - keyboards, organ
• Jerry Goodman - violin

Additional personnel

• Don Puluse - engineer
• Robert Honablue - engineer

Charts

Album

Billboard (United States)

Year	Chart	Position
1972	Jazz Albums	11
1972	Pop Albums	89

External links

• Aspiration - by Sri Chinmoy